Safety for firearms



R. 0. GOBLE SAFETY- FOR FIREARMS June 24, 1969 Sheet 012 Filed Aug. 21. 1967 INVENTOR.

RAL PH 0. G03 u:

ATrok/vEYs June 24, 1969 no. GoBLE SAFETY FOR FIREARMS Sheet 3 0:2

Filed Aug. 21, 1967 INVENTOR. RALPH 06091.:

3,451,154 SAFETY FOR FIREARMS Ralph O. Goble, Morristown, Ind. 46161 Filed Aug. 21, 1967, Ser. No. 662,010 Int. Cl. F41c 17/00, 11/02 US. CI. 42-70 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A muzzle loading firearm including a threadedly mounted barrel with an externally octagonal configuration for barrel replacement. A safety lever locks the striker of the firearm in either cocked position or striking position and is mounted on a fixed shaft with a cam groove therein against which a safety spring bears to retain the safety lever in operating or nonoperating position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One embodiment of this invention might include a firearm comprising a housing, a shaft extending through the wall of said housing and pivotally mounted thereon, a striker fixed to said shaft and thereby pivotally mounted on said housing, a striker operating element received within said housing and fixed to said shaft, first spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said striker operating element to yieldably urge said striker toward striking position, a trigger element pivotally mounted on said housing, second spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said trigger element to yieldably urge said trigger element into forward nondepressed position, said trigger element having a first projection thereon, said striker operating element having a second projection thereon, said striker being pivotal against the urging of said first spring to a cocked position wherein said second projection engages said first projection and is blocked thereby against movement to striking position.

One object of this invention is to provide an improved firearm.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved muzzle loading firearm.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a muzzle loading firearm which can be easily converted from one caliber weapon to another and from one kind of weapon to another.

A further object of this invention is to provide a muzzle loading firearm incorporating efiicient means for locking the striker in cocked position or in striking position.

Related objects and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

3,451,154 Patented June 24, 1969 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a muzzle loading firearm embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the firearm of FIG. 1 taken from the other side of the firearm and showing the housing cover removed to illustrate the interior construction of the device.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the apparatus in a different operating position.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a safety lever and associated parts forming a part of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the safety lever of FIG. 4 removed therefrom to illustrate the housing construction and the mounting of the safety lever.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged section taken along the line 77 of FIG. 2 in the direction of the arrows.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged section taken along the line 88 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawing and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there is illustrated a muzzle loading firearm 10 which includes a housing 11 and a barrel 12. The barrel 12 has an externally octagonal configuration so that it can be gripped by a wrench for removal from the housing 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the barrel 12 has an externally reduced diameter end portion 13 which is externally threaded and which is screwed into an internally threaded receptacle 15 formed in the housing 11. The barrel 12 may be a rifle barrel or may be a shotgun barrel or can have varying internal diameters to receive projectiles of varying size. One of the advantages of the present invention is the fact that the firearm 10 can be converted from one type of weapon to another by merely unscrewing the barrel 12 and replacing it with a further barrel.

The housing 11 has an anvil 16 mounted thereon, said anvil 16 having a passage 18 therethrough which is in communication with a radially outwardly extending passage 17 in the side wall of the portion 13 of the barrel 12. Thus, the passage through the anvil 16 and into the barrel 12 can function in cooperation with a striker 20 to ignite a charge contained within the barrel 12 for firing the weapon.

The striker 20 is pivotally mounted upon the housing 11 by means of a screw 21 which is threaded into an,

externally square projection 23 extending from a striker operating element 22. The externally square projection 23 receives the striker 20 thereon, said striker having an internally square opening therethrough so that, as the striker operating element 22 pivotally rotates about the axis of the externally square projection, the striker 20 also moves positively with the striker operating element 22. The externally square projection is arranged coaxially with a further projection 25 which engages the cover 24 on the housing on the other side of the housing away from the striker 20. Thus, the striker operating element 22 is pivotally mounted on the housing on both sides thereof.

The striker 20 is normally yieldably held and retained in a striking position as shown in FIG. 3 by means of a V-shaped spring 30 which is seated in the housing 11. The spring 30 is reinforced by a portion 31 which is attached to the portion 30 and also includes the portion 32 so that the spring 30 has a V-shaped configuration. It can be seen that the portion 33 of the spring 30 bears against a projecting portion 35 forming a part of the striker operating element 22.

The trigger 40 is pivotally mounted upon the housing 11 by means of a shaft 41 which extends through the housing 11 and through the trigger 40. The trigger 40 has a projection 42 thereon which cooperates with a projection 45 on the striker operating element 22 to retain the striker operating element and the striker 20 in cocked position as illustrated in FIG. 2. Of course, the striker is moved to the cocked position by pressing the thumb against the portion 46 of the striker. The striker and the striker operating element are prevented from moving past the cocked position during the cocking operation by means of a projection 47 attached to the housing 11 and fitting into a recess 49 in the striker operating element 22.

A spring 50 is relatively thin in comparison to the spring 30 and is fixed beneath the portion 32 of the spring 30 and projects into a recess 51 in the trigger 40-. The spring 50 functions to yieldably retain the trigger 40 in the forward nondepressed position of FIG. 3. Of course, the trigger 40 is moved somewhat rearwardly when in the cooked position of FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 4-7, a safety lever 60 is illustrated which is mounted upon the shaft 61. The shaft 61 is secured to the outside of the housing 11 by means of a screw 62. The shaft 61 has a cam groove 65 therein which has two flat surfaces 66 at its ends and which has a curved central portion 67. Fixedly secured to the safety lever 60 by means of a screw 70 is a spring 71 which has a single finger or claw 72 which bears against the cam groove 65. It can be appreciated that the two fiat surfaces 66 which are closer to the axis of the shaft 61 than the curved surface 67 function to create a bistable condition for the safety lever 60. In other words, the safety lever 60 tends to resiliently retain a position wherein the finger 72 is bearing against either of the fiat surfaces 66.

The two stable positions of the safety lever 60 are illustrated in FIG. 5, one in solid lines and one in dotted lines. When the safety lever 60 is in the solid line position of FIG. 5, the mechanism is free to operate to be cocked and to be fired in normal fashion. The safety lever may, however, be moved into the dotted line position of FIG. 5, in which case the striker operating element 22 will be locked in either the striking position of the striker or in the cocked position of the striker. If the striker operating element 22 is between the cocked position of the striker or the striking position of the striker, then the safety lever 60 cannot be moved into the dotted line position.

The safety lever 60 has formed thereon integral therewith a projection 75 which extends through a slot 76 in the side wall of the housing 11 into the interior of the housing. The striker operating lever 22 has a pair of grooves 77 and 80 therein. When the striker operating element 22 is in the position of FIG. 2, the projection 75 can be moved into the groove 80. When the striker operating element 22 is in the position of FIG. 3, the projection 75 can be moved into the groove 77. In either 4 of these positions, the projection 75 locks the striker operating element 22 in position.

It will be evident from the above description that the present invention provides an improved firearm. It will also be evident that the firearm of the present invention is easily converted from one caliber weapon to another and from one kind of a Weapon to another, for example from a rifle to a shotgun. It can also be appreciated from the above description that the firearm of the present invention incorporates efficient means for locking the striker in cocked position or in striking position.

I claim:

1. A firearm comprising a housing, a shaft extending through the wall of said housing and pivotally mounted thereon, a striker fixed to said shaft and thereby pivotally mounted on said housing, a striker operating element received within said housing and fixed to said shaft, first spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said striker operating element to yieldably urge said striker toward striking position, a trigger element pivotally mounted on said housing, second spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said trigger element to yieldably urge said trigger element into forward nondepressed position, said trigger element having a first projection thereon, said striker operating element having a second projection thereon, said striker being pivotal against the urging of said first spring to a cocked position wherein said second projection engages said first projection and is blocked thereby against movement to striking position, a safety lever for locking said striker in cocked position and in striking position, said lever being pivotally mounted on said housing, said striker operating element having two grooves therein, said housing having a slot through the wall thereof, a third projection integral with said safety lever and projecting through said housing slot into said housing, said third projection being seatable in one of said grooves by the pivoting of said safety lever when said striker is in cocked position to lock said striker operating element in cocked striker position, said third projection being seatable in the other of said grooves by the pivoting of said safety lever when said striker is in striking position to lock said striker operating element in the striker striking position.

2. A firearm comprising a housing, a shaft extending through the wall of said housing and pivotally mounted thereon, a striker fixed to said shaft and thereby pivotally mounted on said housing, a striker operating element received within said housing and fixed to said shaft, first spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said striker operating element to yieldably urge said striker toward striking position, a trigger element pivotally mounted on said housing, second spring means received within said housing and acting between said housing and said trigger element to yieldably urge said trigger element into forward nondepressed position, said trigger element having a first projection thereon, said striker operating element having a second projection thereon, said striker being pivotal against the urging of said first spring to a cocked posi tion wherein said second projection engages said first projection and is blocked thereby against movement to striking position, a safety lever, said lever being pivotally mounted on said housing, said striker operating element having a groove therein, said housing having a slot through the wall thereof, a third projection integral with said safety lever and projecting through said housing slot into said housing, said third projection being seatable in said groove by the pivoting of said safety lever when said striker is in cocked position to lock said striker operating element in cocked striker position.

3. A firearm as defined in claim 2 additionally comprising a safety lever mounting shaft fixed to the outside of said housing and forming the pivotal mounting for said safety lever, said safety lever mounting shaft having a groove therein which includes two flats at its opposite ends and a curved portion connecting said flats, said flats being closer to the axis of pivoting of said safety lever than said curved portion and a safety spring mounted on said safety lever and bearing against said groove in said safety lever mounting shaft, said safety spring acting in bistable fashion against said flats and curved portion to resiliently hold said safety lever either in striker-operating-element-locking position or completely out of the path of said striker operating element.

4. The firearm of claim 3 additionally comprising an anvil mounted on said housing, a barrel having a threaded end thereon and a first passage through said threaded end extending radially outwardly thereof, said barrel being 15 threaded into said housing, said anvil having a passage therethrough which communicates with said first passage, said barrel being removable by unthreading from said housing for replacement with a barrel of different internal dimension.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,106 3/ 1839 Butterfield 42-51 6,945 12/ 1849 Perry 42-51 16,503 1/1857 Ward 42-83 32,188 4/ 1861 Hiller 42-69' 42,697 5/ 1864 Starr 42-69 46,100 1/1865 Gibbon 42-70 60,188 12/1866 Henry 42-69 3,280,495 10/ 1966 Lewis 42-77 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner.

U. S. Cl. X.R. 42-51 

